The observation report of the Aa Saint-Omer Golf Club has arrived

As already announced, since August 2020, Exlterra has been collaborating with the Aa Saint-Omer Golf Club, certified as a “Pôle d’Excellence Golfique” in Lumbres, Northern France.

The goal was to observe the impact of a GEPS installation on a fairway and a bunker of the course, in particular regarding the following points

• Improvement of rainwater infiltration during rainy periods.
• Maintaining humidity during dry periods.
• Elimination of mechanical work such as pitting, sandblasting.
• No discharge point, no soil disturbance, no retention pond.

At the beginning of the year, Mrs. Aurélie Morandin, Head Greenkeeper and member of the AGREF (Association des Personnels d’Entretien des Terrains de Golf) gave us her report, which is simply exemplary.

We did not expect such perfect timing for our study. Indeed, the first year after GEPS was installed saw intense rainfall, including a particularly wet summer of 2021. The report notes that the GEPS system delivered performance that conventional drainage could not, with significantly better stormwater infiltration that allowed for a quicker return to play after the rain and increased ease of maintenance . Then, 2022 was the year of record drought. This is when GEPS was able to demonstrate its power by maintaining relative soil moisture and ground cover without any watering.

Ms. Morandin’s observations can be read in the attached report. Her conclusions alone sum up the role of GEPS for a golf industry that must reinvent itself in an eco-responsible manner:

“With the evolution of the climate and the major importance of preserving water resources it seems essential to us to rethink the maintenance of golf courses, within the capabilities of each. Your GEPS system, which is part of the natural water cycle and promotes the recharging of groundwater, appears to be a particularly suitable option from both a technical and eco-sustainable point of view.”